Fishermen on Lake Wolfgansee

Out for the catch! A backbreaking job in an idyllic setting

Nikolaus and Elfi Höplinger cast their nets. They catch between 20 and 60 kg of fish from Lake Wolfgang every day.

(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

It has been a family business since 1783 and Nikolaus Höplinger's descendants will also be able to make a good living from it. But what's behind it all? What has changed in recent years and what does the future hold for fishermen on Lake Wolfgangsee?

Reinanken and char, plus lake trout, pike, carp and zander. Nikolaus Höplinger and his wife Elfie catch between 20 and 60 kilos of fish from Lake Wolfgang every day. "It's been a family business since 1783 and our leasehold rights cover around two thirds of the lake. That's around 860 hectares that we manage. This size makes it a full-time fishing business. My son Benedikt works with us, and in summer we also have two employees," explains the boss.

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They fish from Holy Week to October
In principle, there is no time when you can't fish at all, because there are always fish species that are out of spawning season. "Our philosophy is that we mainly fish between Holy Week and mid-October, because that's when there's the most meat. The legal closed seasons must be observed, but there are summer and winter spawners among the fish," says Höplinger.

"But you certainly won't get rich from it"
Höplinger starts his boat at five o'clock in the morning and fishes until half past seven. The fish is then processed for three hours before the catch is delivered to the region. "The fish we catch goes away the same day. It is processed by midday. Many of our customers come from the restaurant trade. Freshness is our trademark. We gut, fillet and marinate," wife Elfi explains. Eight nets are thrown out, that's around 400 meters, in fish terms around 250 whitefish. "You won't get rich from it, but we don't need a helicopter anyway, and we already have our little yacht, the fishing boat," laughs the federal chairman of the lake fishermen.

"Corona seems to have made people realize that cooking is not a science"
Is it possible that Lake Wolfgangsee will eventually be fished out and Höplinger will soon be unemployed? "No. We've also built a large hatchery. And the fish that we catch, we keep restocking. It was certainly more difficult in the past with conservation and customers. Today, we can sell the fish in the region. Customers come to us as end consumers. People from the campsites around us come and get something for the barbecue. Corona seems to have made people realize that cooking isn't rocket science," laughs Höplinger. He is in a good mood, but visibly exhausted from the hard work and is already longing for a vacation.

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"Descendants will be able to make a living from it"
And where are they going? Maybe deep-sea fishing in the Maldives? "That's not the top priority. And we can't do it in summer anyway," admits Elfie. So it's not a dream job after all? My descendants will be able to make a living from it. Because it has worked for centuries. That's more valuable than any money. We live from tourism, and lakes like this will always be an attraction." One reason why the alarm clock will ring again tomorrow at four o'clock and the two will cast their nets.